He took up the sport while he was in the third grade of secondary school at START Tarnow in Poland.

Why this sport?

When he joined the START Tarnow club, he practised swimming for three months before switching to athletics. It quickly turned out that he had talent for sprinting. "I love the competition, the adrenaline rush before races. The 100m is the most spectacular race."

Club / Team

AZS PWSZ Tarnow [POL] / START Tarnow [POL]:

Name of coach

Piotr Kuczek [START], POL

Senior International Debut

Year

2013

Competing for

Poland

Tournament

World Championships

Location

Lyon, FRA

General Interest

Memorable sporting achievement

Claiming silver in the T47 100m at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (sport.tvp.pl, 11 Sep 2016)

Most influential person in career

His family, and coach Piotr Kuczek. (paralympic.org, 04 Oct 2015)

Hero / Idol

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. (paralympic.org, 09 Sep 2016)

Injuries

His training was disrupted ahead of the 2017 World Championships in London, England, due to a sprained ankle he sustained in March 2017. (festiwalbiegowy.pl, 16 Jun 2017; przegladsportowy.pl, 16 Jul 2017)

Sporting philosophy / motto

"Nothing is impossible, some things just require more work." (polskieradio.pl, 21 Nov 2014)

Awards and honours

In 2016 he was honoured with the Silver Cross of Merit by the President of Poland. (festiwalbiegowy.pl, 06 Oct 2016)

Other sports

He has competed with able-bodied athletes in Poland. In February 2015 at the national championships he finished in seventh place in the 60m dash. "My dream will come true when I qualify for the national team for able-bodied athletes." (eurosport.onet.pl, 29 Dec 2015)

Ambitions

To win a gold medal at the 2018 European Championships in Berlin, Germany, and to compete at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (dziennikpolski24.pl, 28 Nov 2017)

Impairment

He was born with dysmelia in his left hand, which meant it did not fully develop. (sprinterzy.com, 13 Jan 2014)

Other information

ENFORCED BREAKHe could not compete in official Para athletics events between 2008 and 2013 because he was unable to get his impairment classified. Following a rule change in 2013, he began competing again. "In 2008 I wanted to quit, but my former coach Boguslaw Szczepanski convinced me there might be a rule change that would allow me to compete." (imav.tv, 16 Aug 2015)